


Resilience

by SeleneDarkbloom



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 08:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26848744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeleneDarkbloom/pseuds/SeleneDarkbloom
Summary: The Turks' mission to retrieve Jenova's remains in the Northern Crater goes awry.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Resilience

**Author's Note:**

> Old wip I had that happened to fit day 5's prompt: Where do you think you're going?

The darkness loomed within every corner their lights could not reach, in the deep of the crater it was quiet, too quiet. Faintly, they could hear the sound of the helicopter blades cutting through cold winds and snow.

Elena held onto the box containing Jenova’s remains while they made their way back to the crater's entrance where they were to meet with Rude, board the helicopter and return to Healen.

It was a relatively safe mission, or so they had hoped. Locate, retrieve, return. Yet, the hair on the back of their necks stood as a warning. The chill in their guts extending beyond the cold temperatures. They felt watched, the shadows seemed to move around them.

Tseng had felt that before, at the Temple. Right before Sephiroth showed up and attacked him, the feeling of dread seeping through his veins. Making him equal parts numb and overly aware of his own body and his surroundings. There was a slight shake to his hands that he was keenly aware was not merely a reaction to the cold.

Elena could hear her every inhale and exhale, the rapid beating of her heart. She clutches the box tighter, nods to Tseng in a silent plea for them to move quickly out of there. The helicopter becomes louder, closer. Rude is waiting for them at the opening where there is a hint of light coming from above.

The snow fell, it painted their black suits white dot at a time. The shadows seemed to loom closer, they seemed to look at them like a predator circling their prey. They leaped from the shadows like the wind. Tseng’s hold on his gun became stronger, he steadied his aim and began to fire. There was seemingly no effect, like shooting into air, but he kept firing bullet after bullet. Buying any second he could, while Elena and Rude secured Jenova’s remains away from there.

The shadow split into three, and it came for each one of them. Elena opened fire at two of them, Reno descended the helicopter into the cave and that distracted those things for a few short seconds, but not long enough. Rude hops into it and offers a hand for her to take, instead she shoves the box into his hands. There was no time for all of them to leave and make sure that, whatever those things were, they did not get a hold of Jenova. That was their mission.

On the windows she sees the reflection of a shadow coming towards her, she twists and fires. Elena turns around and pushes Rude inside, closing the door between them.

“Go! Get out of here!” There’s a short exchange and the helicopter begins its ascent.

Tseng ejects the empty magazine and no matter how quick he was in sliding a new one in, he wasn’t fast enough. He locks it in, hears the click and aims. The shadow speeds towards him, he fires. The black mass doesn’t slow down and collides with him, throwing him against the rocks. He hits the ground, ears ringing. Blood dripped down his face, he tried moving but the world spun around him. He certainly had a concussion, his shoulder was broken, his ribs were cracked. Every breath was a pained one. 

“Tseng!”

Elena shouts and shoots. The shadows turn their attention to her, they come to her all at once, hissing through the air. She saw what it did to Tseng. She ducks and slides beneath them before they can hit her, quickly standing up and turning to open fire again. Bullets were doing virtually nothing here, but she didn’t have many options available to her then.

She backs away towards Tseng and keeps shooting. Elena crouches besides him, wanting to assess his injuries but she couldn’t. She runs out of bullets and curses up a storm. Precious seconds lost while she changed magazines, but then…The shadows stopped. The three separate masses started taking shape not far from them. Elena spares Tseng a glance, blood covered his face and he clutched at his shoulder.

She had to think quickly, they were trapped in there with whatever those things were. There would be no escape unless they defeated those things. And has they took a human form, Elena swift through the materia in her bangle, removing a cure and pressing it to Tseng’s hand. She weighs her options, she didn’t know what they were or if it would affect them, but she knew it would affect _her_. She would be sacrificing her capability to defend herself, but that was a gamble she was willing to make.

With a deep breath, Elena cast Berserk on herself.

Adrenalin spiked high, and all she could focus on was hitting her target, she was at the peak of her body’s ability. Fast and strong. But she didn’t have time, and she was extremely vulnerable. The shadows now looked oddly human, and that she knew how to handle well. She kicked and punched, one of them grabs her by the back of her suit and tosses her on the floor. She slides near Tseng’s discarded pistol which she grabs and begins to fire with deadly aim. There is no blood coming from the bullet holes, only dark shadow closing their wounds as if they were never there.

Her sight turns hazy, movements sluggish has the spell wears off. She’s drained and exhausted. The gun falls onto the floor with a distant thud. She shakes her head trying to put herself back together but one of them stalks towards her, she raises her arms in an attempt to defend herself. It — he? — backhands her with enough force to send her face first against the nearest rock. Her jaw ached and she spat blood on the floor.

Elena pushes herself to her knees, not ready to give up yet. She stands on her feet, head swimming but she still puts herself in a fighting stance. One of them, the smaller one. He walks towards her, smiling, showing all his teeth. Amused glint coating cat-like eyes. She hits him when he gets close enough, and it only makes him laugh. He dodges her next attack, grabs her arm and twists it behind her back, pushing her to the floor on her knees.

He shushes against her ear, holding both her arms behind her with one hand, the other on her throat making hard for her to breathe but not enough to choke. But squeezing harder every time she struggled.

“Stop fighting. It’s pointless.”

Elena tries to free herself again, but he was significantly stronger than she was.

“Let me convince you to stop, then.” He turns her head to her left, another one of them stood with her gun pressed against Tseng who laid on the floor in a growing pool of his own blood. The materia she gave him was now on the hands of the third one.

Elena hissed at them like a feral animal. Behind her he laughs.

“You’ll give us what we want. One way or another.”

“Good luck with that.”

She pushes the words out through the hold on her neck. And once again he laughs. Elena sees the other’s finger slowly pressing against the trigger, barrel on Tseng’s temple, and her whole body seizes.

“Stop, please.” She says without thinking.

Elena feels his chuckle reverberate through his chest on the skin of her back.

“This should be fun. For us at least. Don’t be mistaken, you _will_ tell us where mother is.”

* * *

Rufus watched the grainy recording come to an end; static filled the room. Rude and Reno stood silent before him.

His mind quickly went through every possible scenario, from best to worse. He settles for believing Tseng and Elena are more worth to them alive rather than dead. It still makes his stomach turn knowing they are at their mercy. The grim promise of his words echoed within his mind.

“Sir, what is our next step?” Reno asks, voice small. Unlike him.

“We’ll need backup. Whatever they are, it’s far beyond our capabilities to deal in our own.”

Rude and Reno nod.

He wheels himself away, hand shaking and burning pains starts to sweep through his body has his stigma flares. Black liquid soaking through white fabric. Before he lost consciousness, his only thought was a distant hope that they would hold on.

Hold on, because he’ll come for them as soon as he can. He refused to leave them behind; they hadn’t given up on him and he would do no less.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me @OneBrainSel on Twitter.


End file.
